Advice please - thinking of rehoming chickens

[Clodagh]

Leo - could you explain your stance on ex batts Please? Plus this will sound very rude but is not meant to, but a lot of my ex batts come to me looking a bit like your favourite girl! - not exactly as they are paler and combs floppy, not as many feathers and not as good condition but mine are looking like that about half way to feathering up fully.
l.

I don't understand being anti ex batts either, although my rescues were 'free range' its not a lot better. The charities do a lot to lobby for better conditions and the farmers sell the birds to Nandos and so on so they get money anyway for the birds and if they can have a bit of fun before they die that's great, to my mind.
I don't rescue them as they are innoculated against so many diseases they continue to shed and I have, for instance, Mareks prone breeds here (booteds).
Many breeders keep thier birds in appalling conditions, hence I cull nearly all my cockerels rather than sell them as the Ebay egg trade has encouraged anyone with a rabbit hutch to set up in business, although that has peaked now I think. If you buy pure breeds go and see the parent stock and how they are kept. Chickens need grass, it is a staple part of their diet and if there is no grass, there are too many chickens.

 

[Evie91]

Thanks Clodagh - food for thought. My chickens don’t have grass as pen is under the shade of two conker trees, even when I’ve had it re-turfed I’ve not been able to sustain it. I could move them to a paddock but we have at least two wily foxes. At least in their current pen its surrounded by a 12 foot brick wall on three sides and has security fencing across the front. I intend to revamp this year so looking at ideas. Currently have a bark chip pit, various logs, sand area, rotted shavings covered area (outside but to stay dry) and various old dog crates with straw covered tops for outside use, the house is an old playhouse with porch area (for food and water) with nest boxes added.
I muck out straw beds once a week, in summer scrub with disinfect once a month, and sprinkle diamontenus (sp?) earth weekly under the straw and rub in to walls and perch. I usually creosote the house once a year ( move the chickens to a stable for a few weeks) to kill any bugs.
i usually house four to six chucks. Have had up to ten but added an extra house as like everyone to have space on the perch if they wish!

 

[Leo Walker]

Shes a naked neck, so doesnt have feathers on her neck and chest, and I think she may have been mid moult in that pic. The reason the ex batts look so bad is most of them have a heavy moult and all chickens look awful when they do that. She is the ugliest chicken known to man, but who wouldnt want a chicken that looks like a penis and pair of testicles crossed with a vulture? ????

I didnt write the below, it is someone I know, but it covers most of the issues:

The list of reasons not to buy rescue runs and runs, I’ll try and cover some, but first would you rescue a dog if the previous owner would get a part of the money?

Every sale of Caged Hens is more profit into the cage industry
More profit equals cheaper eggs to sell to people that do not care and undercut Free Range eggs even more
Whole of life Egg suppliers have to compete financially and live with the costs into non egg laying years
Rescue Mathematics do not add up as £3.50 per bird minus the amount paid to the farmer is massive profits as the transportation / feed does not make up the difference
The hens are in a state because of excessive bullying – many will have this ingrained into them and can be extremely flighty
Hens that were near the top of the pecking order will try and attain that stature if introduced into a new flock

Were the birds fed Anti-biotics? Well there goes any attempt at Organics then!
They are heavily vaccinated and should only be mixed with other vaccinated birds.
They often arrive sick and die.
They are bred to produce lots of eggs, very, very quickly and then slow down dramatically

Lastly and most importantly do not underestimate the net effect of flooding the market with cheap Hens. My supplier no longer wants to supply birds less than a 1000 at a time as the small order market has dropped off a cliff due to rescues. This farmer sells at £5.50 so all of you that want POL birds will have to pay through the nose. All good honest small scale breeders / smallholders are financially challenged by low turnover on the Hybrid side

 

[Clodagh]

That article was written by someone who buys hens from a supplier to sell on? So not exactly a neutral observer.
Why should farmers not make a profit? The same reason that horse owners object to paying enough for a bale of hay to cover it's manufacturing costs?

 

[honetpot]

I have bought straight from the battery, it was a few years ago when the children were small. I asked the farmer to save me a few and turned up with a couple of boxes, he shoved them in one, and brought home 12 hens. I think they were about £2.50.
They are a crop, and will be sent on for something,some people have rare breeds, I like cast offs. Once they got over the shock, I just left them in the box opened, in a stable with the top door shut, they lived what seemed to be a happy life, my only problem being when they wanted to get into the house.
We used to live on the edge of a village where people would dump unwanted hens, I ended up with the best cleverest banty ever, and a lovely cockeral, but in the end the blasted fox got into the hen run and killed most of them.

 

[Esmae]

I didn't know the thing about mealworms. My Silkies would kill for them. If you like chickens then have them but don't think that you will be getting cheap eggs. Far more expensive to provide your own than the supermarket. That said they are so much nicer in every way. Ours are no trouble at all to keep and don't take up much time to do that. I clean ours weekly. Everything goes out and coop is brushed down from top to bottom and rebedded. I also spray the house against mites etc. Can't remember the name of the stuff, it's just escaped my brain cell. The whole process, including washing up their feeder and drinker takes about 25 minutes. Easy as anything and they are so amusing to watch and such characters. Ours have free run of the garden which doesn't go hand in hand with a tidy plot but I'd rather have them than everything neat all the time. Good luck with them.

 

[Evie91]

If you do let them free range - keep your doors shut!Once went to bed to find chicken roosting in the bedroom! Chicken in footwell of car, jumped in the boot of a friends car and always waiting outside the door for you to open it in the hope of treats.They are great characters.

 

[Leo Walker]

That article was written by someone who buys hens from a supplier to sell on? So not exactly a neutral observer.
Why should farmers not make a profit? The same reason that horse owners object to paying enough for a bale of hay to cover it's manufacturing costs?

I just liked his response the best. As far as I know hes a small time breeder. Its the opinion of almost everyone I know who keeps chickens, but that isnt indicative of the whole world, just the people I know obvs.

If the farmer makes more of a profit through "rescues" then you are funding a despicable trade and I for one, absolutely do not want to do that.

If people dont keep and breed the rare breeds they die out. There are so many of them in dire straights, while people buy ex batts and struggle with them.

 

[Evie91]

Leo - what are rare uk breeds?

 

[teacups]

The battery hen cross is bred for ease of handling as well as egglaying ability. Having had other breeds, the ex-batts have without fail been the most friendly, chatty and approachable, by a long way. Other breeds have been more pretty (as opposed to straightforward brown chicken) and come in lovely colours.

As I understand it the commercial egg farmers need a chicken to lay 6-7 eggs a week to be economically viable. When production drops below that, at about 1.5 yrs old, they are not profitable enough. At that point the chickens are taken away either for a small amount (25p or somesuch) per chicken to become burgers or dogfood, or taken away free of charge i.e. no disposal cost. The rescue organisations simply pay the farmers what they would have been paid anyway - there is no extra profit involved.

A small scale (6,000 hens) farmer in my area rehomed them all free of charge - they put in a lot of effort and man hours, organised it all themselves, just to let them have a new home rather than go to slaughter.

I understand this may affect the sales of breeders of pure breeds but tbh most of the people starting out would never have spent £25 on a chicken - for a minimum 'starter' set that would be £75 on top of all the other setting up costs. Perhaps those breeders should see it as a positive thing in that people are getting into keeping chickens this way - and may move on to buying other breeds.

To me it sounds a bit like saying no one should rehome a rescue dog because they are denying a dog breeder the income from selling a puppy. Why should the rescue dog not have the chance of another home? Why should the ex-battery hen not have the chance of a nice life?

 

[CourtJester]

Thank you all for sharing your views and experiences. I feel like I have learnt much over the last week or so but I am sure there is much more to learn over the coming months!

The coop and walk in run are being delivered next week. I do hope to have the chickens out and about whilst we are around but I need to have a chat with our cats to explain the chickens are not for hunting! I am planning to pick up some ex batts the following weekend.

The set up costs are huge so there is no expectation that this is a cheap way of getting eggs but I am hopeful once they are settled with good management they will be easy to keep and good entertainment! Leo I get you passion for the rare breeds but I feel the ex batts are right for me at the mo.

One final question (for now ?) does anyone ever take their chickens to the vet ? Are any conditions treatable are is it always best just to dispatch ?

 

[Evie91]

I’ve not managed to find a vet locally that treats chickens. I wouldn’t ‘just’ despatch as they are my pets, fortunately I have a knowledgeable neighbour, chicken websites and the forum. If you know your birds it becomes obvious when despatch is required, over the years I’ve come to recognise the signs of things they will not recover from, then speedy death is required to avoid further suffering.
You will need to take each situation as it comes.

 

[Archangel]

The Hen Welfare Trust have a list of hen friendly vets.
here

I would not take a hen to a non poultry vet as years ago when inexperienced I went to my normal vet and she was x-rayed. A very serious looking vet showed me the x-ray and we had one of those conversations that you couldn't make up

Vet - "we have a serious oval growth here"
Me - "it's an egg"

It is worth googling Ascites (water belly) as that is the most common thing I have encountered. Worth picking up your birds once a week to feel their abdomen is not too hard or soft and they are carrying weight on their breast. Ex caged/intensive birds are prone to tumours.

If the farmer makes more of a profit through "rescues" then you are funding a despicable trade and I for one, absolutely do not want to do that.

No neither do I, I thought (or rather didn't think about it too deeply) that the farmer surrendered them, as this is what the farmer where I used to keep my horse did. It's a b*gger though, as usual it is the hens that suffer.

The answer is no more caged birds. But sadly some people just do not care. One person I know who absolutely loves their dog regards chickens as 'just food' and buys cheap eggs, quiches etc made from caged birds eggs because "so what".

I'm going ahead with the Fresh Start hens as they are already reserved and I was impressed with that they asked for photos of the coop and run and outside space etc. But for my next batch of hens I will have a good hard think about it.

 

[CourtJester]

Thanks both. We have found several “near” neighbours who are happy to help out with any hands on chickens advice but also our equine vet is on the approved list which promoted the question.

 

[Moobli]

I have bought hens from small time breeders in the past but am definitely considering some ex batts this time around. I only have one hen and one cockerel left and miss seeing them scratching around. Mine are completely free range and I like to think of the caged birds having a decent few years of life after what they have been through. I might buy a couple of maran and legbars too as I just like them.

My Buff Orpington cockerel, Kevin, must be 8 years old now and still looking good.

 

[CourtJester]

Very handsome chap much too good looking for a name like Kevin ?

 

[Moobli]

Very handsome chap much too good looking for a name like Kevin ?

I agree. The kids named him. There were originally two, one with blonde tail feathers and one with brown and they were named after a couple of blokes off a kids TV show (Fred was blonde and Kevin was brown haired in the programme).

 

[Nudibranch]

Chickens need grass, it is a staple part of their diet and if there is no grass, there are too many chickens.

Our walk in run doesn't have grass in as it's not a moveable one but they are let out and spend all their daylight hours foraging on the verges, in the fields, or in the woods. It's also worth bearing in mind that long grass can be fatal - it can get stuck in the crop and cause impaction. Short grass is safe but they are equally if not more happy scratching in leaf litter in a wood. Their ancestors are jungle fowl after all.

 

[Leo Walker]

To me it sounds a bit like saying no one should rehome a rescue dog because they are denying a dog breeder the income from selling a puppy. Why should the rescue dog not have the chance of another home? Why should the ex-battery hen not have the chance of a nice life?

No, its like advising people not to buy cheap knackered horses from dodgy dealers as it funds their business model.

If you want to rescue there are hundreds of rescues with genuine rescue chickens available

 

[Leo Walker]

Leo - what are rare uk breeds?

https://www.rbst.org.uk/Pages/Categ...MImJ-w7bSD6AIVy7TtCh13FgfzEAAYASAAEgJLBfD_BwE

 

[ycbm]

No, its like advising people not to buy cheap knackered horses from dodgy dealers as it funds their business model.

It doesn't fund anything unless the farmer is paid more for the birds than they would be paid by a chicken soup maker. And there is no suggestion that I can find that any of the reputable rehoming charities are doing that, why would they? But they are certainly using their funds for research and other charitable purposes which are generally benefitting poultry and poultry keepers.


.

 

[Archangel]

It doesn't fund anything unless the farmer is paid more for the birds than they would be paid by a chicken soup maker. And there is no suggestion that I can find that any of the reputable rehoming charities are doing that, why would they? But they are certainly using their funds for research and other charitable purposes which are generally benefitting poultry and poultry keepers.
.

I asked the question - how much - to both the places I get hens from and the birds are either given free or market value.

Caged bird eggs are used in Jaffa Cakes and the Mr Kipling range (I didn't realise) so I am boycotting them.

 

[Clodagh]

https://www.rbst.org.uk/Pages/Categ...MImJ-w7bSD6AIVy7TtCh13FgfzEAAYASAAEgJLBfD_BwE

Gorgeous! I can't believe OEG are rare though, the trouble is the breeders aren't registered I suppose. I had Dorkings, gorgeous friendly birds but hopeless layers.

 

[Clodagh]

Our walk in run doesn't have grass in as it's not a moveable one but they are let out and spend all their daylight hours foraging on the verges, in the fields, or in the woods. It's also worth bearing in mind that long grass can be fatal - it can get stuck in the crop and cause impaction. Short grass is safe but they are equally if not more happy scratching in leaf litter in a wood. Their ancestors are jungle fowl after all.

As you say, when you let them out they forage on the verges. Chickens really do graze, my two runs with chooks on the grass is under control, the one I am resting is like a hayfield.
When mine are shut on they have a paved run with straw on, easy to clean and they like poking about.

 

[Evie91]

I like all the A’s and the sea bright.

 

[Clodagh]

I like all the A’s and the sea bright.

Rosecombs are fab, I had a few years ago and they made fabulous broodies for the grey partridge project.

 

[CourtJester]

A little update. We picked up four girls from BHWT on Sunday. The whole process was extremely efficient and we had a quick lesson on how to hold them. They seemed a little shell shocked on Sunday and there was a bit of in fighting to establish the pecking order. Even so we could see enough of their personalities to name them - Mrs Bridges (she was keeping everyone in order), Lady Marjorie (the posh bird with the most feathers!), Ruby and Daisy. Come dusk we were very pleasantly surprised to see one girl, and two halves (one front end and one back end!) in the coop ! We fairly easily put them all inside for the night.

Monday morning two popped out as soon as we let down the drawbridge and we carried the other two out. They seemed brighter on Monday, Mrs Bridges was very feisty and we found three eggs. During the afternoon we were a little worried about Daisy she was hanging her head and looking very miserable. I surmised that she seemed happier when we weren’t around so we left them to it. I think we were too intense in trying to work out if she was ok or not and probably worrying her half to death!

Tuesday they were all much more relaxed though Mrs Bridges was a bit quieter I think she overdid it the previous day! Daisy was as bright as the others. This morning we were so pleased that when we fed the horses the girls (they are in a stable at the moment) started cooing. They all popped out almost straight away, seem very settled and are very busy doing chicken stuff.

So thank you everyone for your views and advice. We are only on day 4 but all very happy so far and we have the grand total of seven eggs. With the added bonus that the last two have actually been laid in the nesting box!

 

[Lady Jane]

As Auntie to Court Jester's hens may I say how rewarding it is to see the girls gain in confidence and enthusiasm every day. Today it felt like they enjoyed our visits and want to be close to us and are curious

 

[Equi]

I mentioned getting some new chooks and my mum didn’t say no! I put it to her that if we go into lock down at least we will have eggs to eat.... mwahahaha

 

[AmyMay]

We need pictures CJ ??